Whatever happened to the Man in the Cast Iron Casket? (more Odd Travels)

The Man in the Cast Iron Casket, whose remains are lost to history, was likely a resident of Cottonport in the early to mid-1800s. The Tennessee River town in Limestone County was once a bustling port. (Kelly Kazek/kkazek@al.com)

LIMESTONE COUNTY, Alabama – One of the enduring mysteries of the 194 Unknown Graves, the topic of today’s Odd Travels feature, is the whereabouts of the Man in the Cast Iron Casket.

When building Interstate 65 through Limestone County, highway crews came across unmarked graves that historians believe contained the bodies of the citizens of a long-forgotten Tennessee River town called Cottonport. The bodies had to be moved before construction could be resumed, so, after New Hope Funeral Home won the state bid of $47,000 to reinter the bodies, the remains were transported 50 miles to Hayden Cemetery in rural Madison County, said New Hope historian Lou Ann Poole.

“I really don’t know if they got them all,” Poole said. During an interview about two years ago with funeral home owner, Billy Jones, who died earlier this year, Poole learned how the remains were transported. She said workers would place the bones in wooden boxes and place them in a van, which would transport them to Hayden Cemetery. The boxes would be buried in rows the next morning and then the van would return for more.

For an unknown reason, the small, granite markers, each etched with a number between 1 and 194, were set in random order. No one knows anything about the remains beneath, whether male or female, young or old, Poole said.

One set of remains made it to Hayden Cemetery but was never buried, she said.

When crews unearthed the 195th body they found a Springfield 92 model casket manufactured in the early 1800s. Workers could see a window in the upper half of the cast-iron casing, but it was darkened with age. After cleaning the glass, workers could see what appeared to be the remnants of a man's clothing on a skeleton, with a diamond stickpin still in the lapel.

Cast iron caskets were popular in the early 1800s and through the Civil War and most had viewing windows in the top. The caskets can be seen in museums and, from time to time, for sale on eBay.

Jones told Poole the Man in the Cast Iron Casket was loaded into the van with other remains and parked at the cemetery one evening for burial the next morning. But before digging began, workers received notice from a state agency that officials wanted to study the casket and remains. Poole believes it was the state forensics department but no one has ever confirmed receiving the remains.

Rumors about the man have swirled ever since. Someone said the stickpin was stolen and the Madison County sheriff exhumed the body to check. Another said the casket and its contents were whisked away by the FBI.

What happened to The Man in the Cast Iron Casket? His whereabouts are just another part of the mystery of the 194 unknown graves

Cottonport finally received recognition when a historical marker was erected in 2003 near the location where the town once bustled. It is directly outside the entrance to the town of Mooresville, the setting for last week’s Odd Travels feature on the X+Y=Z preacher. Read story here.

Join al.com reporter Kelly Kazek on her weekly journey through north Alabama to record the region’s quirky history, strange roadside attractions and tales of colorful characters. Send story ideas to kkazek@alcom.